It was the summer of 2009 when Pat Malone introduced me to OD Woolsey. Woolsey had just been paroled from the Territorial Prison in Cañon City after serving 34 years of a life sentence for the 1974 murder of James Nance here in Pueblo.
Over the course of nearly two years, Pat and I chronicled Woolsey’s life and the difficulties he faced as an “old school con” out on parole in a world that really didn’t care who he once was. It wasn’t a particularly popular series, given the subject matter. But I found Woolsey to be a fascinating, complex story. Pat’s efforts were recognized by the Colorado Associated Press and Colorado Press Association this last February. For my part, I published a web project on Woolsey that was tad, shall we say, bloated.
OD died June 30th at age 75. His lawyer, Randy Jorgensen, said he suffered some sort of “cadiac event” which resulted in oxygen deprivation and left Woolsey essentially brain dead. The news was somewhat surprising; Woolsey had parried with death on and off over the past six or seven years.
Rest in peace my old friend, Thank you for being a friend. Your brother in the struggle. Mr. Domo
I am O.D ‘no daughter, it still amazes me that no one has ever contacted me about my father and his passing. It was bad enough he put me thru hell for most of my life and I took the abuse of my mother BECAUSE I was just like him,he didn’t even contact me when he was paroled,then I couldn’t even make peace with his and my painful history..I’ll never have closure .Ramona Woolsey-Smith 9703728052